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John Fera is ticked off with Tito Martins. The United Steelworkers Local 6500 president is angry that Vale Inco's president and chief executive officer visited Sudbury last week and couldn't spare five minutes to meet with his union about the labour dispute.

About 3,300 production and maintenance workers in Sudbury and Port Colborne have been on strike against Vale Inco since July 13 after more than three months of negotiating failed to produce a new collective agreement.

Martins spoke to 600 staff and management employees at Sudbury's Radisson Hotel last week in what company spokesman Cory McPhee said was a talk about the company's long-term future in the Nickel Capital.

McPhee acknowledged these were difficult times for the company, but said Vale staff and managers did not ask Martins about how long he thought the Ontario strike, now in its 108th day, might go on.

Another 450 members of USW Local 9058 in Voisey's Bay, NL, have been on strike since Aug. 1.

"I'm not impressed that Tito wouldn't talk with us," said Fera. Had he spoken with union representatives, Martins might have gained information about the labour dispute.

USW claims Vale Inco is seeking concessions by trying to substitute a defined contribution pension plan for its defined benefit plan, by reducing the nickel bonus and by limiting transfer rights among workplaces.

Vale Inco officials claim the company is trying to implement changes to make the business competitive or profitable in all business cycles.

"With all due respect," said Fera, "Martins did not have a real good understanding" of the issues in this strike, according to people Fera spoke with who attended Martins' talk.

"He seemed confused when he was asked specifics" and appeared to be reading from a script to staff, Fera said he was told.

When Martins was asked "tough questions, others answered."

Fera said he suspects that Vale Inco's bargaining committee "is not being totally honest" with Martins about the more than three months of negotiations between the two sides.